Fine sand for reef?

[Anonymous]

I was just wondering what type of sand to use and what size grain. I've had a tanganyikan cichlid tank before with fine sand and let me tell ya, it's a pain in the butt when u have to do a water change cuz the siphon will lift up the sand as well making it hard to do water change without clogging your sink with sand. So, I see this brand called Aragonite sand that is bigger than sand u find at a beach or playsand. Is this OK? It's smaller grain than crush corals but bigger than fine sand.

 

[Anonymous]

The smaller the grain size, the more surface area you will have for bacterial growth. I'm not sure why you are getting sand out of the tank during water changes. Do you have a sump to remove water from? If you do, stick a small powerhead with attached hose in the sump to pump out water during a water change. If this is not enouch water then you can also siphon some out of the tank but you shouldn't be sucking sand out. When you add water, add it to the sump so you don't stir up the sand.